October 21 - 27, 2018 was National Pastoral Care week, dedicated to recognizing the role that spiritual caregivers play and allowing them to share their stories. Spring Mill Health Campus, an assisted living and short term rehabilitation community, invited local members of the spiritual community out for a breakfast to honor their contributions to the community.
The morning kicked off with a hearty breakfast and introductions for those in attendance. Kelly Petty, Regional Director of Business Development for Extended Care Consulting, explained the inspiration behind the event.
“We decided to host a pastoral breakfast, inviting all the local churches in the area, just to show our appreciation,” Petty said. “We decided it’d be a great way to involve our community, involve our local churches, and local chaplains at the hospice agencies that we work with. It’s just a way to bring the community together.”
The spiritual care providers in the room were thankful for the invitation and opportunity to attend. For those in attendance, meeting their community and local healthcare facilities was an important and highly appreciated aspect. Kerry Robinson, Chaplain at Unity Hospice in Merrillville, attended the event after receiving an invite. He expressed his appreciation for the facility and their kind staff, whom he met previously while working with a patient in their facility.
“Spring Mill is a beautiful facility,” Robinson said. “It’s good for us as agencies and providers of healthcare to have connections so that we can help each other out and partner together, not only for the betterment of the families and patients, but for our communities.”
Others in attendance included community members interested in learning more about the senior healthcare community. Pam Camarena and her husband saw the event advertised in a local paper and decided to venture out to see what the community had to offer.
“I thought it’d be interesting to go get breakfast and see what it’s like,” Camarena said. “It’s nice, people are friendly. We’re just looking around to see what’s out here in the event that we need it.”
After breakfast, attendees were treated to tours of the assisted living apartments on site, though the food was an insight all were interested in. Latoya Rivera, Director of Food Service for Spring Mill Health Campus, created the meal outside of her normal hours, insisting that it was worth every moment.
“It’s exciting,” Rivera said. “I enjoy what I do. Anything to help the community, I have no problem doing it. Food is a big part; people can have a bad day, but if they have a good meal it can turn their day from upside down to bright as day.”
Spring Mill’s Pastoral Breakfast showcased not only the care of the team, but the dedication to the community that runs so heavily through the veins of the facility. To learn more about Spring Mill Health Campus, visit them here: https://springmillhc.com/